INTRASPECIFIC MOLECULAR PHYLOGENY IN THE YELLOW WARBLER (DENDROICA-PETECHIA), AND IMPLICATIONS FOR AVIAN BIOGEOGRAPHY IN THE WEST-INDIES

A phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) restriction sites was used to examine the evolutionary history of populations of yellow warbler (Dendroica petechia) sampled from North America, Central Amer ica, South America, and the West Indies. Thirty-seven haplotypes were identified, and only one was found in more than one of these regions. Estimated sequence divergence among haplotypes ranged from 0.14 to 3.1 7%, and mtDNAs from North American migratory populations clearly were differentiated from those of most tropical sedentary populations. Pars imony analysis of haplotypes suggested multiple colonizations of the W est Indies archipelago and of individual Caribbean islands. The infere nce of multiple colonizations has important implications for studies o f avian ecology and evolution in this region.